Reporter-producer Tiffany Mullon was on a call with Romney operatives on Wednesday as they outlined how they see the dueling Ohio events. The president speaks at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland at almost the same time Thursday afternoon that Romney takes the stage at his rally near Cincinnati.

Top Romney strategist Russ Schriefer previewed the message Romney hopes to deliver, but he acknowledged a more immediate problem for his candidate: Economic conditions in Ohio have been steadily improving, bucking the national trend. But, Schriefer credited the state’s success to its governor, John Kasich, not the president.